ABM is raising the Bar.

Amtech Lighting Services and Electrical Services, a subsidiary of ABM Industries, Inc. recently helped The Association of the Bar of the City of New York slash their annual lighting costs by nearly 35 percent at The Association's building in midtown Manhattan.

Scott Salmirs, Executive Vice President of ABM of New York, made the announcement.

The Association of the Bar of the City of New York recently enlisted Amtech Lighting Services to evaluate lighting conditions at their property and help reduce energy costs at their landmark designated building located at 42 West 44th Street in Manhattan.

The six-story, 60,000 s/f office property built in 1897 and last renovated in 1996 contains the largest member supported law library in the United States which is also a nationally recognized research facility.

"We have over 600,000+ volumes in our law library and stacks storage areas, which were being illuminated by an antiquated lighting system which was extremely inefficient," explained Robert Huber, Building Manager for The Association.

"Amtech was very professional and was able to not only increase the amount of light output, but additionally decrease our energy costs at the same time.

"Amtech has also just completed installing motion sensors which will further our savings by automatically turning sections of lighting on and off as staff enter and leave our various law library storage areas."

The Project Manager for Amtech Lighting and Electrical Services advised Mr. Huber after conducting an energy audit at the site, that the old existing four-foot, T-12, standard lamps and magnetic ballasts that were in the law library and stacks storage areas were in need of being retrofitted.

These older type fixtures used significantly more energy and produced substantially less light output.

Amtech retrofitted the existing fixtures with new T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts which require less energy and produce better lighting, resulting in an annual savings of nearly $11,000 in energy costs and increased the foot candle output more than 60% in the areas retrofitted. The Association will be recognizing a return on their investment in 2.9 years on the overall project.

"The selection of a partner for your lighting needs can not only make a difference in your facility's appearance, but also in your operating costs," said Ralph Sica, Vice President--Business Development, of ABM's Amtech Lighting Services Division."

Whether you're a single building owner looking to improve your property's lighting while saving thousands on your annual energy bill, or a major portfolio owner who wants to trim millions off annual operating costs, partnering with Amtech Lighting Services is an excellent first step in achieving your energy management goals."